Carmel: Clean up after your dogs on beach

CARMEL &GT;&GT; One great thing about Carmel Beach is dogs are allowed to run free.

But dogs — and their owners — are leaving behind too many reminders of one of the prices of that freedom.

In a word — poop.

On the heels of a report by a marine environmental group citing a "staggering" increase in dog waste on the city beach, Carmel officials issued a press release Thursday reminding dog owners of their responsibility to pick up after their pooches and to properly dispose of the waste.

"Not all people are picking up after their pets," the press release said. "And some simply leave bags filled with feces when they leave the beach."

On July 11, the Santa Cruz group Save Our Shores said Carmel community members had brought the growing problem to its attention in the past few months. On June 14, the group said volunteers collected 39 bags of dog waste — 16 pounds in all — at Carmel Beach. The group said the abandoned waste was an unpleasant eyesore, but also a hazard to marine creatures.

On Thursday, Carmel public services director Sharon Friedrichsen said in a prepared statement, "The problem, based on what we are hearing, may have gotten worse lately. It has to be resolved, and we are working just to do that."

She said there are 17 locations at the beach where free "mutt mitts" are available to pick up dog waste. They must be disposed of in trash cans on bluff above the beach and the parking lot at the foot of Ocean Avenue, she said.

Public Safety Director Mike Calhoun is working to patrol the beach more frequently to address the problem, the press release said.

Not picking up after one's dog is an infraction under Carmel city code and punishable by a fine, he said.